Travel Trivia
Are You Banned From Certain Countries If You Have An Israeli Stamp In Your Passport?
The mystery around whether you are banned from certain countries if you have an Israeli stamp in your passport is one of those vexing travel questions that seems to come up during every discussion about travel to Israel, especially given the number of travelers visiting Israel through Birthright. So the question remains, is it true? […]
Do Airplanes Dump Their Toilets At 30,000 Feet?
And you thought that all we do is cover “soft” news here at The Expeditioner. Today we tackle one of those nagging questions we all have as we stand (or squat) above a toilet while cruising in a plane at 30,000 feet: “Is this about to land on some farmer’s house in Iowa?”. The answer is, sadly, […]
10 Facts About France You Probably Didn’t Know
1) How many three-star Michelin star restaurants are in France? Twenty-five, which is quite a few, but is surprisingly only second. The country with the most: Japan with 29. 2) How many foreign visitors traveled to France in 2011? 76.8 million visitors, making it the most-visited country in the world, with the U.S. coming in […]
How Many People Visit The North Pole Every Year?
So you’re one of those adventure, off-the-beaten-path travelers that revels in the fact that you don’t bother with those touristy destinations around the world; that you knew about Laos, Colombia and Jordan long before everyone else did; and that there’s no place in the world you wouldn’t at least consider visiting. So how about the […]
Admit It, You Have No Idea What It Means To Be A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Do You?
It happens during every trip. When researching what to see in a particular city, your guidebook lists a notable church/temple/palace as a UNESCO World Heritage site. “Great,” you think to yourself, “I should definitely see it then.” And then when you get around to blogging or telling your friends about said structure, you inevitably state […]
10 Random Facts About Train Travel In India
1) The total distance covered by the trains on the Indian Railways everyday, equals 3 1/2 times the distance to moon. [Link] 2) Longest Run (Time): Himsagar Express (3,751 km in 74 hrs and 55 min). [Link] 3) 18 million passengers ride 9,000 Indian trains every day. [Link] 4) Cost for ticket from New Delhi to […]
How Widespread Is Violence In Mexico Really?
I’m not one for taking to heart the warnings of danger when traveling. From the overblown threat of pickpocketers in Barcelona to the unfounded warnings of imminent kidnapping the second one steps off the plane in Colombia, I often wonder whether these rumors of danger are often nothing more than a classic fear of the […]
Where Is Nicaragua Again?
Where is Nicaragua again? It may be a crashing generalization, but for many people, Nicaragua could just as well be the name of a new prescription to help you stop smoking (just in case you didn’t know, it’s a beautifully diverse Central American country just north of Costa Rica and south of Honduras, with both […]
The Voice You Hear At Every Airport Belongs To Your Aunt Barbara
Did you know that the woman, you know, that woman, whose voice you hear at every airport terminal, bag carousel and curbside drop-off, not to mention subways, train stations and weather alerts, is actually the voice of 63-year-old Carolyn Hopkins of northern Maine, and she kind of looks a whole lot like your Aunt Barbara. […]
Do Pilots Flying Into China Need To Know Mandarin?
Remember that time you were making that approach into Shanghai International Airport on your way from spending a month in Brazil during your round-the-world trip when you thought to yourself, “My God, how are the pilots going to speak with the ground crew? Do they know Mandarin? Does the ground crew know Portuguese? If the […]